In a known printing system a fuser element is provided for fusing a marking material on a recording medium. The fuser element has a surface layer, which contains an elastomeric compound, configured for providing a uniform pressure to the marking material in a fusing pinch.
The surface layer of the fuser element deteriorates in operation of the printing system due to mechanical wear in the fusing pinch. As a result in the long term a characteristic of the surface layer will change. In general a thickness of the surface layer slowly decreases. Moreover the thickness of the surface layer becomes non-uniform in a direction of the fusing element during use of the fuser element, for example in a direction parallel to an extending direction of the fusing pinch.
The thickness and life time of the surface layer of the fuser element in a printing system is often predicted based on the number of images fused on recording mediums in the printing system and on a predetermined wear behavior of the fuser element. The wear behavior is predetermined by a manufacturer of the fuser element in a controlled test environment.
In practice a fuser element in a printing system is replaced earlier than necessary, as the actual thickness of the surface layer of the fuser element in the printing system also varies due to other uncontrolled parameters.